Nobody Lives Here

‘I was on the street and I was free – but what now?’This is the story of Lex Lesgever: a young Jewish boy who found himself alone on the streets of wartime Amsterdam, the only survivor of his large family. He was just 11 when the Germans invaded in May 1940, and less than a year later he had already been confronted with the horrific consequences of war when his eldest brother, Wolf, was arrested during a raid. This marked the beginning of a devastating time for both the Netherlands and for the young boy who had to survive it alone.From a cosy family home in Amsterdam’s Jewish quarter, to sleeping rough, escaping Nazi raids and interrogations, and being taken in by members of the Dutch Resistance, Lex’s memoir pulls no punches. Witness the growth of a naïve, frightened young boy into a smart, resilient and yet sensitive survivor. Painting a picture of the unfolding events in Amsterdam during Anne Frank’s time in hiding, Nobody Lives Here is vivid and often horrific, but ultimately it is a poignant snapshot of humanity in its darkest moments.

LEX LESGEVER is the young Jewish boy whose story is unravelled within the book, a tough, resilient individual. After his ordeal in Amsterdam during the war, he spent forty years living in Leiden where he devoted himself to the Jewish community. He died on New Year’s Eve, 2019. The translators, BABETTE LICHTENSTEIN and JOZEF VAN DER VOORT, are professionals in their field, the former also being a retired cellist and the latter presently working in the German Historical Institute, London. Babette grew up in Amsterdam just after the war and feels an intimate connection with Lex’s story and able to bring colour in English to Amsterdam’s streets.